Today at a Press Briefing in Cologne, Germany just before gamescom 2011 kicks off tomorrw, several release and beta dates were announced.

Not the least of which, Funcom's The Secret World is moving into its beta phase, taking applications as early as August 26th. From that day onward you`ll be able to register for beta. Funcom also announced they plan to ship the game in April of 2012.

As if that weren`t enough, Big Huge Games along with 38 Studios also finally announced a release date for their upcoming RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. European players will be able to enjoy their first experiences in the award-winning universe of Amalur on the 10th of February, 2012. This likely means a February 7th launch in North America, but that was not clarified at the Press Briefing.

To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our
The Secret World
Game Page.